Hard drive destruction system

ABSTRACT

A system for destroying a memory device (e.g., a hard drive) having data stored thereon. The system has a grind chamber with a rotatable grind wheel positioned therein. A pressure arm presses the memory device against the grind wheel as the grind wheel rotates. The rotating grind wheel grinds the memory device into particles from which the data stored on the memory device cannot be recovered. The particles are collected in a receptacle adjacent the grind wheel. The system may include a plurality of guides configured to maintain the memory device in a substantially stationary position relative to the pressure arm as the grind wheel grinds the memory device into particles.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/180,841, filed May 23, 2009, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed generally to methods of and devicesfor damaging or destroying a computer hard drive that prevent subsequentretrieval of data from the damaged or destroyed hard drive.

2. Description of the Related Art

Effective data retention and destruction is mandated by a number ofregulatory requirements (including, but not limited to, theGramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) 501 and the Health Insurance Portabilityand Accountability Act (“HIPAA”)), industry best practices, andexpectations (and desires) of consumers with respect to their individualprivacy. Various commercially available methods and devices intended toaddress these requirements offer only varying degrees of effectiveness.These methods include software based methods (e.g., using operatingsystem commands or secure file deletion software to delete data),electromagnetic methods (e.g., degaussing), and mechanical methods(e.g., crushing, or drilling).

With respect to software based methods, using conventional operatingsystem commands to delete files from a hard drive is not an effectiveway to remove data from the hard drive because most operating systems donot actually delete bit patterns physically stored on the drive.Instead, most operating systems simply remove a file system pointer tothe data. After this pointer has been removed from the file system, thedrive sectors storing the data are available for reuse by other files.When a drive sector is reused, the data previously stored in the drivesector is overwritten with new data. However, many operating systemsleave behind “ghost pointers” that may be used (by file recovery orun-deletion software) to retrieve data the user thought was permanentlydeleted. Even if “ghost pointers” are not available, there is noguarantee that the drive sector containing the data will be reused.Further, even if the drive sector containing the data is reused, themagnetic alignments of bits (written by the drive's write head) do notnecessarily guarantee the magnetic fields of all electrons are alignedin the same direction as others representing the same bit of data.Therefore, equipment capable of reading magnetic fields on the driveplatters in sufficient detail may be used to recover enough of theoriginal bits, which (when used in combination with statisticalreconstruction algorithms) may be used to reconstruct a reducedresolution version of the original data stream.

Secure file deletion software is not completely effective for the samereasons described above. Some secure file deletion software attempts tomake data recovery impossible by repeatedly overwriting the data storedon a hard drive. While statistical reconstruction after multiple randomand patterned overwrites is more involved and less reliable than areconstruction created after a single overwrite by another file, suchstatistical reconstruction remains within the realm of theoreticalpossibility.

Electromagnetic methods have also proven ineffective. Drive degaussingis not completely effective for the same reasons secure deletionsoftware is not completely effective. As a matter of fact, the highintensity magnetic field aligns most of the magnetic fields on the driveplatters in a single direction but may not align all magnetic fields onthe drive platters in that direction. Magnetic fields that are notrealigned could allow the statistical reconstruction described above tobe performed. However, degaussing does have the added advantage ofpotentially damaging the electronics of the hard drive thereby renderingthe hard drive inoperable. Conversely, this could be considered adisadvantage because to determine whether the degaussing operation waseffective, one would have to attach undamaged electronics to the driveplatters. Nevertheless, such damage does not prevent removal of thedrive platters, which may be examined independently as described above.In addition, newer hard drives have greatly improved magnetic shieldingdesigned to protect from interference during normal operation whichreduces the overall effectiveness of degaussing.

Many conventionally used mechanical methods, such as drive crushing ordrilling, are also not completely effective. While the process generallyrenders the drive inoperable (e.g., prevents the drive platters fromspinning within the original drive assembly), the drive platters, whichstill contain an overwhelming majority of the original data, may beremoved from the original drive assembly. Much of the original data canbe retrieved from the drive platters by a device capable of highresolution analysis of the magnetic properties of the drive platters.

Services offering hard drive destruction that reduce the hard drive tosmall particles do exist; however, they are inconsistent in the size ofthe particles produced from the hard drive. Many of the particlesproduced are large enough that individual analysis of the magneticfields on the fragments is still possible (similar to reconstructing ashredded paper document). In addition, many of the services of thisnature require specialized equipment. In some case, the specializedequipment is moved to the location of the hard drive, which can beexpensive. Alternatively, end of life hard drives may be shipped to thespecialized equipment (e.g., at a central location), which requires theowner of the hard drive to relinquish control of the hard drive to athird party for transport. Obviously, this is not without some risksthat the hard drive will be misappropriated or lost during transport.

Therefore, a need exists for methods of destroying a hard drive thatensure data stored on the hard drive cannot be retrieved that alsoallows the owner of the hard drive to maintain possession and/or controlof the hard drive at all times. A portable device configured to destroya hard drive such that its data could not be recovered is alsodesirable. It would be beneficial if such a device could be configuredto operate in a conventional office, mobile, and/or retail environments(e.g., be powered by a standard electrical service, operated quietly,operated safely, and the like). The present application provides theseand other advantages as will be apparent from the following detaileddescription and accompanying figures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the invention include a system for destroying a memory device(such as a hard drive) having data stored thereon. The system includes arotatable grind wheel positioned inside a grind chamber. The grind wheelis selectively rotated by a motor connected to the grind wheel. A devicecontroller may be configured to instruct the motor when to rotate thegrind wheel and when not to rotate the grind wheel.

A pressure arm presses the memory device against the grind wheel as thegrind wheel rotates and grinds the memory device into particles fromwhich the data stored on the memory device cannot be recovered. Thepressure arm is moveable between an upper position and a lower position.

A hydraulic pump may be connected to the pressure arm and configured toselectively position the pressure arm in the upper position to engage anupper portion of the memory device and selectively lower the pressurearm toward the lower position causing the pressure arm to bear againstthe upper portion of the memory device and press the memory deviceagainst the grind wheel as the grind wheel rotates. The hydraulic pumpmay also be configured to raise the pressure arm to the upper positionfrom the lower position after a substantial portion of the memory devicehas been ground into particles.

The system may include a plurality of guides configured to maintain thememory device in a substantially stationary position relative to thepressure arm as the grind wheel rotates.

The particles ground from the memory device are received inside areceptacle positioned adjacent to the grind wheel.

Optionally, the system may also include a camera operable to capture animage of the memory device before the memory device is ground into theparticles. The device controller may be configured to instruct thecamera to capture the image of the memory device.

Other aspects of the invention include a method of destroying a memorydevice having data stored thereon. The method includes positioning thememory device on a rotatable grind surface inside a grind chamber,rotating the grind surface with the memory device positioned thereupon,pressing a portion of the memory device against the grind surface as thegrind surface rotates to reduce the portion pressed against the grindsurface to particles from which the data stored on the memory devicecannot be recovered, and collecting the particles in a receptacle. Themethod may include inserting the memory device into the grind chamberthrough a slot formed therein.

In some embodiments, the method includes positioning a pressure armadjacent an upper surface of the memory device, and applying a force tothe upper surface of the memory device with the pressure arm. The forceis directed toward the grind surface. The application of force continuesafter the grind surface has begun rotating to thereby press the portionof the memory device against the grind surface as it rotates.

Optionally, the method may also include photographing the memory deviceto capture a photograph of the memory device before rotating the grindsurface, and storing the photograph on an external memory or externalcomputing device. Further, before the memory device is photographed, thememory device may be tilted relative to a camera operable to photographthe memory device. After the photograph is taken, the tilted memorydevice may be repositioned in an upright position.

The method may include positioning a forwardly facing side of the memorydevice adjacent to a front guide, positioning at least one rear guideportion against a rearwardly facing side of the memory device (therearwardly facing side of the memory device being opposite the forwardlyfacing side of the memory device), positioning a first guide portionagainst a first side of the memory device; and positioning a secondguide portion against a second side of the memory device (the first sideof the memory device being opposite the second side of the memorydevice). In particular embodiments, the front guide includes a pivotmember. In such embodiments, the method may further include pivoting thepivot member toward the memory device to tip the memory devicerearwardly before the rear guide portion is positioned against therearwardly facing side of the memory device and before the memory deviceis photographed. Then, after the memory device is photographed, the rearguide portion is pressed against the rearwardly facing side of thememory device to return the tipped memory device to an upright position.

Another aspect of the present invention includes a portable system fordestroying a memory device storing data. The system includes a rotatablegrind wheel, means for pressing the memory device against the grindwheel as the grind wheel rotates to grind away a portion of the memorydevice to form particles of ground memory device, and means forretaining the particles of ground memory device inside the system.Optionally, the system may also include means for maintaining the memorydevice in a substantially stationary position as the grind wheelrotates.

Other aspects of the invention include a method that places a memorydevice in a grind chamber without first disassembling the memory device;and rotates a grind wheel positioned inside the grind chamber. The grindwheel grinds the memory device into particles from which any data storedon the memory device cannot be recovered. In embodiments in which thememory device is a hard drive, the method may include removing the harddrive from a computing device before placing the hard drive in the grindchamber, and placing the hard drive inside the grind chamber withoutfirst disassembling the hard drive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a deviceconfigured to grind a hard drive into particles from which datapreviously stored on the hard drive cannot be recovered.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 illustratedgrinding a hard drive into particles and illustrated with a transparenthousing to provide a view of the internal components of the device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 illustrated with ahard drive tilted for photographing inside a grind chamber andillustrated with a transparent housing to provide a view of the internalcomponents of the device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the grind chamber of thedevice of FIG. 1 illustrated with a transparent housing to provide aview of the internal components of the device.

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing a first stage of a grindcycle.

FIG. 6 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing a second stage of a grindcycle.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing a third stage of a grindcycle.

FIG. 8 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing a fourth stage of a grindcycle.

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing a sixth stage of a grindcycle.

FIG. 10 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing a seventh stage of agrind cycle.

FIG. 11 is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantiallyalong line A-A depicting the device performing an eighth stage of agrind cycle.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an underside of a motor, a drive shaft,a drive gear, a driven gear, a drive chain, and a grind wheel of thedevice of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the motor, the drive shaft, the drive gear,the driven gear, the drive chain, and the grind wheel depicted in FIG.12.

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustrating components of a device controller ofthe device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the devicehaving a pivoting pressure arm illustrated in an engaged position.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 15 with thepivoting pressure arm illustrated in a second longitudinal position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-14 illustrate a first embodiment of a device 10 configured todestroy a conventional computer hard drive such that data stored on thehard drive before its destruction cannot be recovered. The device 10 maybe configured to be portable. Turning to FIG. 2, the first embodiment ofthe device 10 is configured to grind a hard drive 20 having a label 22affixed thereto into drive remnants, debris, or particles 30. The harddrive 20 has an upper surface 24 opposite a lower surface 26 (see FIG.3). The particles 30 are ground from the lower surface 26 (illustratedFIG. 3) and collected in a receptacle 40. The hard drive 20 may beremoved from a computing device (not shown) such as a conventionalpersonal computer, server, and the like, and placed in the device 10.The hard drive 20 need not be disassembled before being processed by thedevice 10.

For ease of illustration, the hard drive 20 has been illustrated as astandard or conventional computer hard drive 20 of the type used in aconventional personal computer (not shown). However, those of ordinaryskill in the art appreciate that the device 10 may be used to grindother data storage media, such as flash memory, handheld electronicdevices having onboard memory (e.g., portable music players, such as anIPOD® MP3 player), cellular telephones, smartphones, portable drives,personal data assistants, optical disks, and the like, into theparticles 30.

Depending upon the implementation details, the device 10 may be poweredby a conventional electrical service line (not shown) provided by astandard power utility. In such embodiments, the device 10 includes aconventional plug 42 configured to be received inside a conventionalwall outlet (not shown).

The device 10 includes a housing 50 which may include three sections“S1,” “S2,” and “S3.” The sections “S1,” “S2,” and “S3” may be ofapproximately equal size but this is not a requirement. In theembodiment illustrated, the second section “S2” is positioned betweenthe first section “S1” and the third section “S3.” However, this is alsonot a requirement and embodiments in which the sections “S1,” “S2,” and“S3” are positioned differently relative to one another are within thescope of the present teachings. For ease of illustration, in FIGS. 2-4,the housing 50 has been illustrated as transparent to provide a view ofthe internal components of the device 10.

The first section “S1” includes a substantially hollow chamber 52 thathouses a motor 60 coupled to a rotatable drive shaft 62. The motor 60 isconfigured to selectively rotate the drive shaft 62 in a direction ofrotation (indicated by arrow “R1”). The motor 60 may be implemented asan electrically powered high torque, high speed motor. The motor 60 maybe non-rotatably coupled to or otherwise supported by the first section“S1” of the housing 50.

The drive shaft 62 has a proximal end portion 64 opposite a distal endportion 66. The proximal end portion 64 is coupled to the motor 60. Aconventional drive gear 70 is coupled to the distal end portion 66 ofthe drive shaft 62. The drive gear 70 has a plurality of teeth 72arranged about its circumference. The drive gear 70 is rotated by thedrive shaft 62 when the shaft 62 is rotated by the motor 60.

A drive chain 80 is entwined about the drive gear 70 and meshed with theteeth 72. The drive chain 80 includes a plurality of links 82 connectedtogether to form a continuous loop. As the drive gear 70 rotates, theteeth 72 serially engage the links 82 of the drive chain 80 to therebyrotate the drive chain 80.

Turning to FIG. 4, the second section. “S2” of the housing 50 defines asubstantially hollow grind chamber 90 positioned above a substantiallyhollow lower chamber 92. While not required, at least a portion of thesecond section “S2” defining the grind chamber 90 may be constructedfrom a transparent or semi-transparent material so that a user canobserve the hard drive 20 (see FIG. 2) as the device 10 grinds the harddrive 20 into the particles 30.

FIGS. 5-11 illustrate gross sections through the grind chamber 90 duringdifferent stages of a grind cycle (including an optional photographingprocess). For ease of illustration, the drive chain 80 has been omittedfrom FIGS. 5-11. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the grind chamber 90 isdivided from the lower chamber 92 by a dividing wall 94. The dividingwall 94 limits the movement of the particles 30 created in the grindchamber 90 and helps prevent the particles 30 from entering the lowerchamber 92 where they could interfere with the drive mechanisms. Thelower chamber 92 is in communication with the chamber 52 (see FIG. 2)defined by the first section “S1” (see FIG. 2) of the housing 50 suchthat the lower chamber 92 and the chamber 52 may be characterized as asingle continuous chamber.

Turning to FIG. 5, an aperture or slot 96 is formed in the secondsection “S2.” The slot 96 is in communication with the grind chamber 90and configured to allow the hard drive 20 to pass therethrough into thegrind chamber 90 thus, providing an inlet into the grind chamber 90 forthe hard drive 20.

Turning to FIG. 9, the device 10 may include a closure 97 configured tocover the slot 96 and prevent the particles 30 from exiting the grindchamber 90 through the slot 96. In the drawings, the closure 97 isillustrated as a sliding cover 98 positionable by a conventional slidermechanism 99. The slider mechanism 99 may be slid to and fro by a userto selectively open and close the slot 96. The slider mechanism 99 movesthe cover 98 to open the slot 96 so that the hard drive 20 may beinserted into the grind chamber 90 and moves the cover 98 to close theslot 96 to help prevent the escape of the particles 30 (created by thegrind wheel 130) from the grind chamber 90.

Alternatively, the closure 97 may be implemented as another type ofcover, door, or lid couplable to a portion of the second section “S2” ofthe housing 50 adjacent the slot 96. Depending upon the implementationdetails, the closure 97 may be hingedly attached or slidably attached tothe housing 50. The closure 97 may form an air-tight seal with theportion of the second section “S2” of the housing 50 defining the slot96. Optionally, the closure 97 may be lockable to the second section“S2” of the housing 50 when the device 10 is grinding the hard drive 20.The device 10 is not limited to use with any particle implementation ofthe closure 97.

A non-rotatable shaft 100 extends upwardly from the lower chamber 92through an aperture 102 formed in the dividing wall 94 and at leastpartially into the grind chamber 90. The shaft 100 has a first endportion 106 opposite a second end portion 108. The first end portion 106is non-rotatably coupled or anchored to the housing 50 inside the lowerchamber 92. Thus, the shaft 100 is supported upon a lower portion of thesecond section “S2” of the housing 50.

A driven gear 110 is positioned on the shaft 100 within the lowerchamber 92. Turning to FIG. 12, the driven gear 110 has a plurality ofteeth 112 arranged about its circumference. The drive chain 80 isentwined about the driven gear 110 and meshed with the teeth 112. As thedrive chain 80 rotates, the teeth 112 serially engage the links 82 ofthe drive chain 80 thereby rotating the driven gear 110 about the shaft100. Thus, the driven gear 110 is rotated about the shaft 100 by thedrive chain 80. Bearings (not shown) may be positioned between theinside of the driven gear 110 and the shaft 100.

Returning to FIG. 9, the driven gear 110 is non-rotatably coupled to acollar 120 disposed about a portion of the shaft 100 that extends fromthe lower chamber 92 into the grind chamber 90 through the aperture 102formed in the dividing wall 94. The collar 120 is rotated about theshaft 100 by the driven gear 110. Bearings (not shown) may be positionedbetween the inside of the collar 120 and the shaft 100. Bearings (notshown) may also be positioned between the outside of the collar 120 andthe inside of the aperture 102 formed in the dividing wall 94.

A grind wheel 130 is non-rotatably coupled to the collar 120 inside thegrind chamber 90. The shaft 100 extends through a center portion 131 ofthe grind wheel 100 and the grind wheel is rotatable about the shaft100. As the collar 120 is rotated about the shaft 100 by the driven gear110, the grind wheel 130 rotates with the collar 120 about the shaft100. Bearings (not shown) may be positioned between the inside of thegrind wheel 130 and the shaft 100. Thus, the shaft 100 defines anupright axis of rotation about which the driven gear 110, the collar120, and the grind wheel 130 rotate.

The grind wheel 130 may be implemented as a round low grit grindingwheel that is deformation resistant to the material used to constructcommercially available hard drives. The grind wheel 130 has a grindingsurface 132 sized such that, while the grind wheel 130 is spinning, thegrinding surface 132 will contact the entire lower surface 26 of thehard drive 20.

Returning to FIG. 2, the grind wheel 130 rotates about the shaft 100 ina direction of rotation (indicated by arrow “R2”). Thus, in theembodiment illustrated, the grind wheel 130 is rotated by a rotationalforce imparted on the center portion 131 (see FIG. 9) of the grind wheel130 by the drive chain 80. The housing 50 includes a gap or aperture 138(illustrated in FIG. 2) positioned between the second and third sections“S2” and “S3” through which the particles 30 exit the grind chamber 90and enter the receptacle 40. As the grind wheel 130 rotates in thedirection of rotation indicated by the arrow “R2,” the grind wheel 130deposits the particles 30 in the receptacle 40 through the aperture 138.

Referring to FIG. 9, a pressure arm 140 is connected to the second endportion 108 of the shaft 100. The pressure arm 140 is movable between adisengaged position (illustrated in FIGS. 3-7 and 11) and an engagedposition (illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 8-10). In the disengaged position,the pressure arm 140 is either spaced apart from the hard drive 20 or(when the hard drive 20 is not in the grind chamber 90) a position ingrind chamber 90 that the hard drive 20 will occupy when it is insertedinto the grind chamber 90 through the slot 96. Thus, when the pressurearm 140 is in the disengaged position, the pressure arm 140 is spacedapart from the hard drive 20 and avoids contact therewith. In thismanner and as illustrated in FIG. 5, the pressure arm 140 does notinterfere with the hard drive 20 as it is inserted into the grindchamber 90 through the slot 96. In the engaged position, the pressurearm 140 is positioned to contact the upper surface 24 of the hard drive20.

Returning to FIG. 9, in the first embodiment, the pressure arm 140 ismovable laterally relative to the shaft 100 to selectively position thepressure arm 140 in the disengaged position (illustrated in FIGS. 3-7and 11) and the engaged position (illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 8-10). Byway of a non-limiting example, the pressure arm 140 may be movedlaterally by a linear drive mechanism (not shown). By way of non-limitedexamples, the linear drive mechanism may be constructed using a solenoiddrive, a comb drive, a gear drive, a hydraulic cylinder or piston, andthe like. Any suitable mechanism known in the art may be used to movethe pressure arm 140 laterally to selectively position the pressure armin the disengaged and engaged positions.

The pressure arm 140 is also movable longitudinally relative to theshaft 100 between a first longitudinal position (illustrated in FIGS.2-8 and 11) and a second longitudinal position (illustrated in FIG. 10).The pressure arm 140 is illustrated traveling between the first andsecond longitudinal positions in FIG. 9. In the embodiment illustrated,the pressure arm 140 is mounted on a linear drive mechanism 142(illustrated as a hydraulic piston 144) that positions the pressure arm140 longitudinally relative to the shaft 100. When the pressure arm 140is in the first longitudinal position (illustrated in FIGS. 2-8 and 11),the pressure arm 140 is farthest from the grind surface 132 of the grindwheel 130. When the pressure arm 140 is in the second longitudinalposition (illustrated in FIG. 10), the pressure arm 140 is closest to,but does not contact, the grind surface 132 of the grind wheel 130.

Optionally, the device 10 may include a retractable platform (not shown)positioned opposite the slot 96 and above the grind wheel 130. Beforethe hard drive 20 is inserted into the grind chamber 90, the platform isextended. When the hard drive 20 is inserted into the slot 96, it restson the extended platform. Then, the device 10 begins rotating the grindwheel 130. After the grind wheel 130 is rotating at full speed, theplatform may be retracted from under the hard drive causing the harddrive to fall off the end of the platform and into contact with thegrind surface 132 of the grind wheel.

In embodiments that do not include the optional retractable platform,when the hard drive 20 is inserted into the slot 96, it rests on thegrind surface 132 of the grind wheel 130. Then, the device 10 beginsrotating the grind wheel 130.

The first longitudinal position of the pressure arm 140 is adjacent toor above the upper surface 24 of the hard drive 20 when the lowersurface 26 of the hard drive 20 is in contact with the grind surface 132of the grind wheel 130. Thus, if the first longitudinal position of thepressure arm 140 is above the upper surface 24 of the hard drive 20, itmay be necessary to lower the pressure arm 140 into contact with theupper surface 24 of the hard drive 20 before the grind wheel 130 beginsrotating. As the grind wheel 130 rotates, it grinds away the lowersurface 26 of the hard drive 20. The drive mechanism 142 moves thepressure arm 140 longitudinally toward the grind wheel 130 (and thesecond longitudinal position) pressing the lower surface 26 of the harddrive 20 against the grind surface 132 as the grind wheel 130 rotates.

The second longitudinal position of the pressure arm 140 is near thegrind surface 132 but spaced apart therefrom to avoid damaging thepressure arm 140. When the device 10 stops rotating the grind wheel 130,the pressure arm 140 returns to the first longitudinal position andoptionally, to the disengaged position (e.g., see FIG. 11).

Any suitable mechanism known in the art may be used to position thepressure arm 140 longitudinally relative to the shaft 100. By way ofnon-limited examples, the linear drive mechanism 142 may be constructedusing a solenoid drive, a comb drive, a gear drive, a hydraulic cylinderor piston, and the like.

FIGS. 15 and 16 depict a second embodiment of the device 10. Likereference numerals have been used to identify like components in FIGS.1-16. In the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, apressure arm 148 pivots relative to the shaft 100 to selectivelyposition the pressure arm 148 in the disengaged position (notillustrated) and the engaged position (illustrated in FIG. 15) as wellas in the first longitudinal position (not illustrated) and the secondlongitudinal position (illustrated in FIG. 16). In this embodiment, thepressure arm 148 includes a lever 150 pivotably connected to the secondend portion 108 of the shaft 100 by a pivot pin 152. The lever 150 has afirst end portion 154 opposite a second end portion 156.

An engagement member 158 is pivotably connected to the first end portion154. The second end portion 156 is pivotably connected to a linear drivemechanism 160 (illustrated as a hydraulic piston). The pressure arm 148is selectively pivoted into the disengaged position, the firstlongitudinal position, the engaged position, and the second longitudinalposition by a drive mechanism 160 (illustrated as a hydraulic piston161). Any suitable mechanism known in the art may be used to pivot thepressure arm 148 to selectively position the pressure arm. By way ofnon-limited examples, the linear drive mechanism may be constructedusing a solenoid drive, a comb drive, a gear drive, a hydraulic cylinderor piston, and the like.

Before the hard drive 20 is inserted into the grind chamber 90, thepressure arm 148 is in the disengaged and first longitudinal positions.After the hard drive 20 is inserted into the grind chamber 90 (e.g., viathe slot 96), the pressure arm is moved into the engagement position(illustrated in FIG. 15). When the pressure arm 148 is positioned in theengaged position, the engagement member 158 is positioned on the uppersurface 24 of the hard drive 20. Then, the drive mechanism 160 pivotsthe lever 150 toward the hard drive 20 thereby causing the engagementmember 158 to apply force to the upper surface 24 of the hard drive 20pressing the lower surface 26 of the hard drive 20 into the grindsurface 132 of the grind wheel 130. The drive mechanism 160 continuespivoting the lever 150 until the pressure arm 148 is positioned in thesecond longitudinal position (illustrated in FIG. 16). Then, the drivemechanism 160 returns the pressure arm 148 to the disengaged and firstlongitudinal positions.

Returning to FIG. 2, the device 10 also includes a plurality of guides200 positioned inside the grinding chamber 90 and configured to maintainthe hard drive 20 in a substantially stationary position relative to thegrind surface 132 as the grind wheel 130 rotates and grinds away theportion of the hard drive 20 in contact with the grind surface 132. Theguides 200 also maintain the hard drive 20 in a substantially stationaryposition relative to the pressure arm 140. In particular embodiments,the guides 200 are configured to tip or lean the hard drive so that animage of its label 22 may be captured by a digital camera 270 and afterthe image of the label 22 has been captured (i.e., the hard drive hasbeen photographed), tip the hard drive 20 upright.

Turning to FIG. 4, the guides 200 include a front guide assembly 220, afirst rear guide assembly 230, a second rear guide assembly 232, a firstside guide assembly 240, and a second side guide assembly 242.

The front guide assembly 220 illustrated has a body portion 222 mountedto the housing 50 and positioned above the grind surface 132 of thegrind wheel 130. Referring to FIG. 6, optionally, the body portion 222has substantially vertically extending groove 224 formed therein. Anoptional pivot member 226 may be mounted inside the groove 224 andconfigured to be pivoted relative to the body portion 222 of the frontguide assembly 220. The pivot member 226 has a tethered end portion 227pivotably coupled inside a lower portion of the groove 224 of the frontguide assembly 220 by a pivot pin 229. The pivot member 226 has a freeend portion 228 opposite the tethered end portion 227 that is adjacentan upper portion of the groove 224 when (as illustrated in FIG. 7) thepivot member 226 is fully positioned inside the groove 224. A drivemechanism (not shown) selectively pivots the free end portion 228 of thepivot member 226 inside and outside of the groove 224. By way ofnon-limited example, the pivoting drive mechanism may be constructedusing a small electric motor (not shown).

Returning to FIG. 4, the first rear guide assembly 230 and the secondrear guide assembly 232 are spaced apart to allow a portion of thepressure arm 140 to move therebetween as the pressure arm 140 moveslongitudinally relative to the shaft 100. Each of the first and secondrear guide assemblies 230 and 232 includes a movable extension portion234 movably coupled to a substantially stationary support member 236.The extension portions 234 are each movable relative to the supportmember 236 between an extended position (see FIGS. 2 and 8-10) and aretracted position (see FIGS. 3-7 and 11). As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and8-10, in the extended position, the extension portions 234 are adjacentto and may optionally contact the hard drive 20. Conversely, asillustrated in FIGS. 3-7 and 11, in the retracted position, theextension portions 234 are spaced apart from the hard drive 20.

The support member 236 are each non-movably coupled to the secondsection “S2” of the housing 50. In the embodiments illustrated, thesupport members 236 are illustrated as being attached to an upperportion of the second section “S2” of the housing 50. However, this isnot a requirement and embodiments in which the support members 236 arecoupled to side portions of the second section “S2” are within the scopeof the present teachings.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the hard drive 20 is adjacent the front guideassembly 220, and the extension portions 234 of the first and secondrear guide assemblies 230 and 232 are in the retracted position, thefree end portion 228 of the pivot member 226 may be pivoted outwardlyaway from the groove 224 to tip or lean the hard drive 20 away from thefront guide assembly 220. Conversely, referring to FIG. 8, when the harddrive 20 is in a tipped or leaned position and the free end portion 228of the pivot member 226 is pivoted inwardly into the groove 224, theextension portions 234 of the first and second rear guide assemblies 230and 232 may be moved into the extended position to tip the hard drive 20upright and position it alongside the front guide assembly 220.

Returning to FIG. 4, the first side guide assembly 240 and the secondside guide assembly 242 are spaced apart to allow the hard drive 20 tobe inserted therebetween. Each of the first and second side guideassemblies 240 and 242 includes an movable extension portion 244 movablycoupled to a substantially stationary support member 246. The extensionportions 244 are each movable toward and away from the hard drive 20 toaccommodate differently sized hard drives.

The support member 246 are each non-movably coupled to the secondsection “S2” of the housing 50. In the embodiments illustrated, thesupport members 246 are illustrated as being attached to an upperportion of the second section “S2” of the housing 50. However, this isnot a requirement and embodiments in which the support members 246 arecoupled to side portions of the second section “S2” are within the scopeof the present teachings.

The extension portions 234 and extension portions 244 may each be movedas described above by a separate linear drive mechanism (not shown). Anyof the linear drive mechanisms described above as suitable forconstructing the linear drive mechanism 142 may be used to implement thelinear drive mechanism used to move the extension portions 234 andextension portions 244. Optionally, a sensor (not shown) may beconnected to each of the extension portions 234 and/or the extensionportions 244 to detect when the extension portion has exerted a desiredamount of force on the hard drive 20.

Referring to FIG. 2, the third section “S3” of the housing 50 defines asubstantially hollow chamber 258 housing a hydraulic pump 260. Thechamber 258 may be isolated from the grind chamber 90 such that theparticles 30 do not enter the chamber 258. The hydraulic pump 260 may benon-movably coupled to or otherwise supported by the third section “S3”of the housing 50.

The hydraulic pump 260 is connected to the hydraulic piston 144 by ahydraulic line 262. The hydraulic pump 260 controls the operation of thehydraulic piston 144. Thus, the hydraulic pump 260 powers the pressurearm 140 that applies downwardly directed pressure to the hard drive 20during the grinding cycle. The hydraulic pump 260 may be powered by thesame utility power feed used to power the motor 60.

In the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15-16, the hydraulic pump260 is connected to the hydraulic piston 160 by the hydraulic line 262.The hydraulic pump 260 controls the operation of the hydraulic piston160. The hydraulic pump 260 powers the pressure arm 148 that appliesdownwardly directed pressure to the hard drive 20 during the grindingcycle.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 11, the receptacle 40 may be removable from thehousing 50 and emptied. In the embodiment illustrated, the receptacle 40is implemented as a drawer slidably received inside a portion 266 (seeFIG. 3) of the third section “S3” (see FIG. 3) of the housing 50. A seal(not shown) may be positioned between the housing 50 and the receptacle40 to prevent an undesired escape of the particles 30 from the device10. The portion 266 (see FIG. 3) of the third section “S3” receiving thereceptacle 40 isolates the receptacle 40 from the chamber 258 housing ahydraulic pump 260 and the lower chamber 92 (see FIG. 5).

An exemplary grind cycle of the first embodiment of the device 10 willnow be described with reference to FIGS. 5-11. A first stage of thegrind cycle is illustrated in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the hard drive 20 isbeing inserted into the grind chamber 90 through the slot 96. The pivotmember 226 is positioned fully within the groove 224. The pressure arm140 is in both the disengaged position and the first longitudinalposition; the extension portions 234 of the first rear guide assembly230 and the second rear guide assembly 232 (see FIG. 4) are in retractedpositions; and the extension portions 244 of the first side guideassembly 240 and the second side guide assembly 242 (see FIG. 4) are inretracted positions.

An optional second stage of the grind cycle is illustrated in FIG. 6. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, in the optional second stage, the free endportion 228 of the pivot member 226 is pivoted outwardly away from thegroove 224 to tip or lean the hard drive 20 away from the body portion222 of the front guide assembly 220. Thus, the grind chamber 90 is of asuitable size to allow the hard drive 20 to be tilted before grindingcommences to allow a photograph of the label 22 to be taken by thecamera 270.

An optional third stage of the grind cycle is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and7. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the optional third stage, the free endportion 228 of the pivot member 226 is pivoted inwardly into the groove224 and a photograph of the label 22 of the hard drive 20 is taken.

Together, the optional second and third stages perform a photographingprocess that may be considered an optional sub-cycle of the grind cycle.

A fourth stage of the grind cycle is illustrated in FIG. 8. Asillustrated in FIG. 8, in the fourth stage, the extension portions 234of the first rear guide assembly 230 and the second rear guide assembly232 (see FIG. 4) are extended into the extended position to press thehard drive 20 against the front guide assembly 220. If the photographingprocess was performed before the fourth stage of the grind process,extending the extension portions 234 pushes the hard drive 20 into anupright position against the front guide assembly 220. Then, theextension portions 244 of the first side guide assembly 240 and thesecond side guide assembly 242 (see FIG. 4) may be moved into extendedpositions to engage the sides of the hard drive 20 (as shown in FIG. 2).Thus, before grinding begins, the guides 200 adjust to hold the harddrive 20 stable along its front, back, left, and right sides allowingthe lower surface 26 of the hard drive 20 to be presented to thegrinding surface 132 of the grind wheel 130. Then, the pressure arm 140is moved into the engaged position to apply direct downward pressure onthe upper surface 24 of the hard drive 20 pressing it onto the grindwheel 130.

Then, in a fifth stage of the grind cycle, the motor 60 (see FIG. 2)begins rotating the grind wheel 130. If the hard drive 20 is restingupon the retractable platform (not illustrated), when the drive wheel130 reaches its full speed, the platform is retracted.

A sixth stage of the grind cycle is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 9. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, in the sixth stage, the pressure arm 140 is movedlongitudinally from the first longitudinal position toward the secondlongitudinal position (and the grind surface 132) in the directionindicated by arrow “A.” As the grind wheel 130 rotates, its grinds theparticles 30 from the lower surface 26 of the hard drive 20 that aredeposited in the receptacle 40. The particles 30 may be driven into thereceptacle 40 by the rotational force of the grind wheel 130.Optionally, a guide (not shown), brush, comb, or the like may bepositioned adjacent the grind surface 132 to clean the grind surface 132and/or direct the particles 30 into the receptacle 40.

A seventh stage of the grind cycle is illustrated in FIG. 10. Asillustrated in FIG. 10, in the seventh stage, the pressure arm 140 hasbeen moved to the second longitudinal position (adjacent the grindsurface 132) the entire hard drive 20 or a substantial portion thereofhas been ground into particles 30.

An eighth stage of the grind cycle is illustrated in FIG. 11. In theeighth stage, the motor 60 is turned off to stop the rotation of thegrind wheel 130. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the extension portions 234of the first rear guide assembly 230 and the second rear guide assembly232 (see FIG. 4) are returned to the retracted position. The pressurearm 140 is returned to the disengaged position. Optionally, theextension portions 244 of the first side guide assembly 240 and thesecond side guide assembly 242 (see FIG. 4) may be returned to theirretracted positions. Further, the receptacle 40 may be removed andemptied.

Turning to FIG. 14, the device 10 includes a device controller 300. Thedevice controller 300 includes a processor 310 connected to a memory 320storing instructions 324 that are executable by the processor 310 andwhen executed by the processor control the operation of the variouscomponents of the device 10 during the grind cycle described above.

In the first embodiment illustrated, the device controller 300 isconnected to the motor 60, the hydraulic pump 260, the camera 270, thefirst and second rear guide assemblies 230 and 232, the first and secondside guide assemblies 240 and 242, and the front guide assembly 220.

The processor 310 instructs the motor 60 when to rotate the shaft 62 andwhen to stop rotating the shaft 62. The processor 310 instructs thecamera 270 when to take a photograph and where in the memory 320 tostore the photograph. In the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-14,the processor 310 also instructs the hydraulic pump 260 when to raisethe hydraulic piston 144 and when to lower the hydraulic piston 144. Inthe second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the processor 310instructs the hydraulic pump 260 when to raise the hydraulic piston 160and when to lower the hydraulic piston 160.

The processor 310 instructs the linear drive mechanisms (not shown) ofthe extension members 234 of the first and second rear guide assemblies230 and 232 when to position the extension members in the extended andretracted positions. Further, the processor 310 may receive a signalfrom sensors (not shown) connected to the extension members 234indicating how much force the extension members 234 are exerting on thehard drive 20. The processor 310 may use this signal to determine whento stop moving the extension members 234 toward the hard drive 20.

The processor 310 instructs the linear drive mechanisms (not shown) ofthe extension members 244 of the first and second side guide assemblies240 and 242 when to position the extension members in the extended andretracted positions. Further, the processor 310 may receive a signalfrom sensors (not shown) connected to the extension members 244indicating how much force the extension members 244 are exerting on thehard drive 20. The processor 310 may use this signal to determine whento stop moving the extension members 234 toward the hard drive 20.

The processor 310 instructs the drive mechanism (not shown) of the frontguide assembly 220 when to selectively position the free end portion 228of the pivot member 226 inside and outside of the groove 224.

In the second embodiment illustrated, the device controller 300 isconnected to the pressure arm 140. The processor 310 instructs thelinear drive mechanism (not shown) of the pressure member 140 when tomove the pressure arm 140 laterally relative to the shaft 100 toposition the pressure arm 140 in the disengaged position (illustrated inFIGS. 3-7 and 11) or the engaged position (illustrated in FIGS. 2 and8-10).

The device controller 300 may include a user interface 330 (e.g., atouch sensitive display screen 332) connected to the processor 310. Theuser interface 330 is configured to receive user input and transmitinstructions based on the user input to the processor 310. The processor310 is configured to receive the instructions from the user interface330 and instruct the appropriate components of the device 10 to performactions desired by the user. For example, the user interface 330 may beused to instruct the processor 310 to perform the stages of the grindcycle occurring after the hard drive 20 has been inserted into the grindchamber 90 in the first stage (illustrated in FIG. 5). By way of anotherexample, the user interface 330 may be used to instruct the processor310 to perform the photographing process during the grind cycle. Thus,the user interface 330 may be used to instruct the camera 270 tophotograph the hard drive 20 (as illustrated in FIG. 7).

The user interface 330 may also allow the user to connect to an externalcomputing subsystem 340 (e.g., a LAN, WAN, Internet, and the like) via anetwork interface 350 coupled to the processor 310. For example, theuser interface 330 may be used to instruct the processor 310 to store(and optionally sign) the digital photograph (captured during thephotographing process of the grind cycle) on an external memory orcomputing device coupled to the computing subsystem 340. The networkinterface 350 may include an Internet connection configured to implementInternet Protocol (“IP”) based file transfer.

The user interface 330 may be used to perform file transfer operationsto store the photograph outside the device 10. For example, the devicecontroller 300 may include an I/O port 360 (such as a USB port orsimilar connection for external memory). The user interface 330 mayallow the user to transfer the photograph to an external memory 370 viathe I/O port 360.

The foregoing described embodiments depict different componentscontained within, or connected with, different other components. It isto be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary,and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented whichachieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangementof components to achieve the same functionality is effectively“associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, anytwo components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality canbe seen as “associated with” each other such that the desiredfunctionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedialcomponents. Likewise, any two components so associated can also beviewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to eachother to achieve the desired functionality.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that,based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein,and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appendedclaims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations).

Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appendedclaims.

1. A system for destroying a memory device having data stored thereon,the system comprising: a grind chamber; a rotatable grind wheelpositioned inside the grind chamber; a pressure arm configured to pressthe memory device against the grind wheel as the grind wheel rotates andgrinds the memory device into particles from which the data stored onthe memory device cannot be recovered; and a receptacle adjacent thegrind wheel positioned to receive the particles.
 2. The system of claim1, further comprising: a camera operable to capture an image of thememory device before the memory device is ground into the particles. 3.The system of claim 2, further comprising: a device controllerconfigured to instruct the camera to capture the image of the memorydevice.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a motor connectedto the grind wheel, the motor being operable to selectively rotate thegrind wheel.
 5. The system of claim 4, further comprising: a devicecontroller configured to instruct the motor when to rotate the grindwheel and when not to rotate the grind wheel.
 6. The system of claim 4,further comprising: a drive chain connecting the motor to the grindwheel, the grind wheel being rotatable by the drive chain, and the drivechain being rotatable by the motor, the drive chain rotating the grindwheel when rotated by the motor.
 7. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a plurality of guides configured to maintain the memorydevice in a substantially stationary position relative to the pressurearm as the grind wheel rotates.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein thepressure arm is moveable between an upper position and a lower position,and the system further comprises: a hydraulic pump connected to thepressure arm, the hydraulic pump being configured to selectivelyposition the pressure arm in the upper position to engage an upperportion of the memory device and selectively lower the pressure armtoward the lower position to cause the pressure arm to bear against theupper portion of the memory device and press the memory device againstthe grind wheel as the grind wheel rotates.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein the hydraulic pump is further configured to raise the pressurearm to the upper position from the lower position after a substantialportion of the memory device has been ground into particles. 10.-17.(canceled)
 18. A portable system for destroying a memory device storingdata, the system comprising: a rotatable grind wheel; means for pressingthe memory device against the grind wheel as the grind wheel rotates togrind away a portion of the memory device to form particles of groundmemory device; and means for retaining the particles of ground memorydevice inside the system.
 19. The system of claim 18, furthercomprising: means for maintaining the memory device in a substantiallystationary position as the grind wheel rotates. 20.-21. (canceled)